Modal accessibility

Modal Accessibility

Instructions

Modals (alerts, action sheets, bottom sheets, popovers) are the single worst source of accessibility bugs on mobile because they change focus context. Get them right.

1. Announce the Modal

When a modal opens, the screen reader should announce its title and role.

• iOS: set .navigationTitle(...) or post .screenChanged with the title element.
• UIKit: UIAccessibility.post(notification: .screenChanged, argument: dialogTitleLabel).
• Compose: Dialog / ModalBottomSheet with content marked heading(); TalkBack announces on appearance.
• Flutter: Semantics(scopesRoute: true, namesRoute: true, label: 'Delete item').
• RN: <Modal> with accessibilityViewIsModal (iOS) + first focusable receives focus.

2. Trap Focus

Focus must not escape into the content behind.

iOS:

.sheet(isPresented: $show) {
    Content()
        .accessibilityAddTraits(.isModal)  // isModal = true in older APIs
}

UIKit:

dialogView.accessibilityViewIsModal = true

Compose — use ModalBottomSheet (built-in trap) or mark your overlay container:

Box(
    modifier = Modifier
        .fillMaxSize()
        .semantics { isTraversalGroup = true; paneTitle = "Filters" }
) { /* ... */ }

Flutter: showDialog already scopes focus; for custom overlays:

Semantics(
  scopesRoute: true,
  explicitChildNodes: true,
  namesRoute: true,
  label: 'Filters',
  child: content,
)

RN iOS:

<Modal visible={show} onRequestClose={onClose} presentationStyle="pageSheet">
  <View accessibilityViewIsModal>{/* ... */}</View>
</Modal>

On Android, RN's <Modal> handles back button. Also set importantForAccessibility="no-hide-descendants" on the underlying root while modal is up (or wrap with <Modal> which manages this).

3. Move Focus Into the Modal

On open, focus the first interactive element (or the title heading if read-only).

SwiftUI:

@FocusState private var firstFocus: Bool
Content().onAppear { firstFocus = true }
TextField("Name", text: $name).focused($firstFocus)

Compose:

val fr = remember { FocusRequester() }
LaunchedEffect(Unit) { fr.requestFocus() }
TextField(..., modifier = Modifier.focusRequester(fr))

Flutter:

late final FocusNode _first;
@override void initState() { super.initState(); _first = FocusNode()..requestFocus(); }

4. Dismiss Must Be Reachable

• Provide a visible close button (minimum 44/48).
• Support Esc / hardware back.
• Allow tap-outside only if a visible close also exists (tap-outside isn't discoverable).

// Compose
BackHandler(enabled = isOpen) { onDismiss() }

AlertDialog(
    onDismissRequest = onDismiss,
    confirmButton = { TextButton(onClick = onConfirm) { Text("Delete") } },
    dismissButton = { TextButton(onClick = onDismiss) { Text("Cancel") } },
    // Close (X) in title if applicable
)

5. Return Focus After Dismiss

.sheet(isPresented: $show, onDismiss: { triggerFocus = true }) { /* ... */ }
Button("Open", action: { show = true }).focused($triggerFocus)

Compose — remember the triggering FocusRequester and re-request in onDismiss.

Flutter — await showDialog then FocusScope.of(context).requestFocus(triggerNode).

6. Action Sheets and Popovers

Treat them as modals. Announce title, trap focus, provide Cancel/close. On iOS, ConfirmationDialog (SwiftUI) and UIAlertController handle this for free — just provide titles and actions.

7. Destructive Actions

• Ensure destructive buttons have role: .destructive (SwiftUI), ButtonDefaults.filledTonalButtonColors(Color.Red) is not enough — set semantics { role = Role.Button; stateDescription = "Destructive" } or use platform style.
• Require confirmation for irreversible actions.
• Don't position destructive and default actions adjacently without spacing.

8. Bottom Sheets

• Provide a visible drag handle and a close button. The drag handle alone is not accessible.
• Expose drag-to-expand as a custom action: "Expand", "Collapse".
• Announce pane change when the sheet expands.

ModalBottomSheet(
    onDismissRequest = onDismiss,
    dragHandle = {
        BottomSheetDefaults.DragHandle(
            modifier = Modifier.semantics {
                contentDescription = "Drag handle"
                role = Role.Button
                customActions = listOf(CustomAccessibilityAction("Close") { onDismiss(); true })
            }
        )
    }
) { /* ... */ }

9. Non-modal Popovers / Toasts

• Toasts are announced via live region; they should not steal focus.
• Popovers anchored to a trigger should return focus to the trigger on dismiss.

10. Common Pitfalls

• No close button, only tap-outside dismiss.
• Focus stays on the background button after the dialog opens.
• Dialog title not marked as heading → no announcement.
• Bottom sheet with drag-only expand.
• Dismiss gesture (swipe down) with no tap alternative.
• Focus doesn't return on dismiss → reader at top of screen.

Checklist

• Modal title is announced on appearance.
• Focus moves into the modal (first control or heading).
• Focus trapped inside the modal (isModal / scopesRoute).
• Visible close button >= 44/48.
• Esc / hardware back dismisses.
• Focus returns to the invoking element on close.
• Destructive actions confirmed and correctly labeled.
• Bottom-sheet expand/collapse accessible without drag.